Expelled Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones Reappointed by Nashville Council

The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to reinstate Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives, one week after he was expelled by the Republican supermajority.

For Context: Last week, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee voted to expel two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, for participating in a protest on the House floor calling for gun control legislation. The protests were in response to a shooting at an elementary school in Nashville last month that left three children and three school faculty members dead. On Wednesday, Pearson’s district, the Shelby County Commission, will vote for its replacement representative, potentially reelecting the ousted Pearson, which would result in both expelled lawmakers returning to the statehouse.

Key Quotes: In voting to expel the two lawmakers, Republicans claimed Jones and Pearson brought “disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives.” Jones stated before the expulsion vote, “to those who here will cast a vote for expulsion, I was fighting for your children, too, to live free from the terror of school shootings.” During Monday’s meeting, Nashville Mayor John Cooper called the vote “unprecedented” and stated, “let’s give the district their voice back. I call this body to give them their voice back now.”

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum described the demonstrations that led to the expulsion vote differently. The New York Times called it a “gun control protest on the House floor.” The Daily Wire called it a “storming of the Tennessee State House.”